Americans Celebrate Following bin Laden Death

As news circulated on Sunday night about the death of al Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, Americans responded to the end of the manhunt with expressions of joy, satisfaction and patriotism.

No new Rasmussen Reports polling has been done since the news emerged, but a review of Twitter and Facebook reaction shows that the news relayed by President Obama was received in a celebratory fashion. Many comments specifically expressed gratitude for military and Special Forces personnel. Others paired their positive comments with expressions of caution that the fight against al Qaeda is not over.

Still, the mood of the moment was more about celebrating the good news rather than anything else. The New York Post captured the mood with an online headline saying "Justice at Last." A print version front page simply said "Got 'Em." The New York Daily News print headline was "Rot in Hell." Similar headlines were found around the country. Newspaper reports say that those who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks responded with a mixture of cheers and tears.

U.S. officials have said that bin Laden's body was buried at sea to avoid creating a shrine in his memory. In Cambodia, mass murder Pol Pot's burial site has become a shrine despite his brutal takeover of that country decades ago.

This Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. We poll on a variety of topics in the fields of politics, business and lifestyle, updating our site's content on a news cycle throughout the day, everyday.

Rasmussen Reports Platinum Members get an all-access pass to polling news, analysis and insight not available to the general public.

Scott Rasmussen , president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade. To learn more about our methodology, click here.